Saturday, September 1, 2012

Protests promised, but few emerge

Don't know why, but mass political protests were apparently a non-event at the RNC in Tampa. No mobs in the streets, no tear gas, not even camera phone video of police using pepper spray.

What happened? Did Tampa lack an indigenous Leftist base to get things rolling? Did Isaac the rainmaker keep protesters away? Maybe Occupy Wall Street simply wore out those prone to protest by trying to do too much at the wrong time of the year last year?

The Left promised we'd have an American Spring followed by Summer in the Streets. Groups like MoveOn hosted protest training workshops around the country. Then there were a few May Day rallies, some NATO protests in Chicago, and then apparently everyone went home.

Will the street contingent bother turning out for next week's Democratic National Convention?

Marxists, labor unions and other groups say they'll demonstrate outside the DNC. Meanwhile, protest recruiters are going door to door in Charlotte neighborhoods - but reportedly finding few takers on their invitation to hit the streets.

A Muslim organisation sought to bring out 20,000 people for yesterday's Friday Jumah Prayers at a Charlotte park. Media estimates I saw pegged turnout at around 500 or less.

I can't recall a previous presidential election year that's been so quiet on the organized protest front. I might be quicker to let it go at face value if protest organizers hadn't started so early in hyping expectations earlier this year. Is there something more in play here?